Thanks to two American Alpine Club and Nikwax research grants, in December 2011, my team journeyed to one of Chile’s quickly melting glaciers, Glaciar Juncal Norte. With the goal of documenting glacial mass change over the decades, we matched archive photos with our modern day photos. Check out our first trip report for more details. This year, we are in the process of collecting water and rock microbe data as part of our 2013 expedition to Cerro Plomo.

Our goal throughout the Chile Glacier Quest has been to collect scientific data for various research institutions that will improve our understanding of mountain ecosystems and advance a multidisciplinary approach to conservation efforts in high altitude environments.

We hope to encourage those who love the outdoors for its adventure and beauty to consider photographing, videoing and writing about environmental changes taking place on their favorite trails and summits. The active search and compilation of this evidence will serve as another reminder to protect the wild places we love.